Frozen River, Happy Birthday
by WEEBFANGIRLINVADERZIMRANDOMXD
Summary: The only question that's ever asked is "When will I be found out?" Sequel to Signed, mL.
1. Prologue

**Okay, so I'm mad. I had a whole thing written out, and it got deleted, and my little recovery program can't find it! GRRRR. D:**

**So, uhm, please just know I've already written all of this way better in a much better way, and I really, really liked it. It was like ten pages… ): I may rewrite it at a later date. (When have I ever followed up, though? Pshhh.) And NOT of authors notes. So, I'm on Facebook now.**

**Listenstogreenday's Fanfictions is up there as a fan page!**

**So here's the horribly written summary of what I DID have written. I'm just gonna make this a prologue.**

Near moved the object from his head to under his pillow when someone came into the room. "L."

"Yes?"

"We have a case of molesta-"

"No." Near said simply, darkly. He didn't even turn around, keeping his albino eyes trained on the multiple screens in front of him. He tuned out the others and turned quietly to another, where a small, young, angelic looking albino looked terrified and was talking quietly about how she was assaulted by her swim team. She was fearful and shaking. Near frowned. Why was she so familiar? Her voice, her face, her snowy, downy hair plastered to the side of the face with water. Her voice carried a light English accent. What in the world?

Then it hit him. It hit him like a brick wall.

James coughed and frowned. He sat quietly in the uncomfortable chair, trying to take notes with spitballs, paper planes, and various other items being thrown at him. He whipped around and hissed quietly. "Please, just stop."

"Why would we do that, Happy?" One of the boys chuckled, and when class was over several seconds later, James found himself smacked on the back of the head- hard, with a text book. "Th-thanks." he stuttered, coughing.

Overall, it was just too much. Too many foster homes, too many abuses. No matter how well he behaved, how well he acted, how much he cleaned. It ended the same thing. They all got their hands on you the second they could. You could never be their child. You were just some punk kid.

Now no one wanted him.

Icy water. Cold. Freezing. Frigid. Gelid. All those stupid words that schools taught their students. They immediately flashed into Caroline's mind. It was so cold, like thousands of tiny needles thrusting deep into her, freezing every part of her, she could feel everything freezing over, glaciating. Her legs kicked aimlessly, but when she was about to reach the surface, someone pushed her back down, harshly again, over, and over and over again… It was unbearable.

Then it seemed like nothingness was closing in. Like sleep, barely controllable. And when she was about to submit to the confines of the nothingness, purely exhausted and seeking the welcoming warmth that it brought to her, it stopped, and she floated gently to the top, then coughed loudly.


	2. Caroline

**So here we go. Finally, the REAL chapter one. So yes, Mariko fans, she's not gone.**

"Look, Ashlyn…" Caroline said quietly, eyes wide in the car. "I'm so sorry, Coach Michel is flipping out on them right now."

Ashlyn's hair was pulled back neatly, and she gritted her teeth and glared straight ahead. "I know. It just makes me so angry."

Caroline sighed and fumbled slightly with the framing on her hair. "I'm sorry Ashlyn."

"STOP APOLOGIZING!" Ashlyn shouted, swerving off the road and pulling over, slamming her hand on the horn. "JUST STOP, CAROLINE!" She gasped for breath, angry, her face reddening with fury. She swung her head around. Caroline felt herself tear up quietly.

"… I'm sorry." Ashlyn slumped back quietly in the driver's seat. "I didn't mean to snap, Caroline. This makes me so angry. It makes me… Just so… angry… that this happens."

Caroline gently, within her own mind, recalled a moment similar to this when she was very young.

A small boy had called her whitey and thrown her off the top of a playground. Caroline had broken both an arm and a leg, and had spent some time in the hospital. Ashlyn had reacted the same way, with spontaneous anger seemingly aimed at her, but really wasn't.

But, in spite of herself, Caroline sniffled and a tear rolled down her cheek. As it had almost eight years ago, it calmed her down immediately here. Ashlyn softened up and wrapped her arms gently around Caroline.

"I'm so sorry, you know… You know how I am. I hate this. I hate how some people treat you. I hate how you have to deal with this… Especially when you shouldn't have to."

"Sometimes I feel like I do. Like it's my destiny or something." Caroline said quietly. "Like this is something I have to go through. Like I'm being controlled and set on a path like one of those little board games. There's only a few directions I can go." Caroline said softly.

Ashlyn sighed. "want to go get a smoothie?" She asked with concern. Caroline nodded weakly.

Several minutes later, sitting in a cheap old Smoothie King in old, beaten-down New York near the lower east side, sipping on fruity sweet drinks, Ashlyn told Caroline a story that she had heard a million times.

"When I was still living in Oxford, I was just barely out of college, I had my medical degree, and I was ready to settle in somewhere with Brad." Brad was Ashyln's… husband? Ex husband? Ashlyn was a widow. Brad had been her husband. He had a degree in performing arts from a totally different school, they had just met at a party. It had been love at first sight and they got married the day after they both graduated school.

"We were young, happy, and married." Ashlyn said dreamily, saturated in the memories. "But you know, I couldn't have kids because of a birth defect. So we figured we'd go and meet some kids at the orphanage, get to know them. When we saw you, we thought, 'Oh my god. What git could leave such an angel here?' and we scooped you up and brought you home." Ashlyn said happily.

When her tone turned somber, and Caroline winced. "Then Brad's accident happened." She sighed softly. Her eyes seemed far away and distant. Suddenly, Caroline was glad that there had not been a day that she lost someone. Brad was like her father, yes, but she hadn't known him too well. She had very foggy, vague, and obscure memories of him.

In a quick and sly attempt to change the topic, Caroline asked, "Did you ever find anything out about my parents?" She already knew the answer, although she had always hoped that maybe it would be different."

Ashlyn sighed. "The adoption agency was very quiet about that. Her name was Milia. That's all we know." By her, Caroline knew she meant her mother. The questions Caroline would have for them if she met them.

"Are they alive?" Caroline asked quietly. That's something she hadn't bothered to ask before. She always thought no. "We don't know." Ashlyn said quietly. "Come on, let's get going." She waved absently behind her shoulder at the cashier, saying "Bye." with her hilarious British accent.

Caroline sighed quietly and followed, the large foam cup in hand. She followed Ashlyn out of the parking lot.

Once in the car, Caroline pulled out her cell phone and began to play Space Invaders. Ashlyn chuckled slightly.

Caroline smiled. "Thanks, Ashlyn. For everything."

Ashlyn smiled and turned up the radio, heading to central New York, where they lived. "This song reminds me of you. Sweeeeet Carolineeee, good times never felt soo goood, so goood, so good!"

Caroline blushed slightly. "Haha, thanks." She laughed.

"Sometimes I feel like it has some sort of thing to do with you."

"I doubt it. The chances are slim." Caroline smiled.

"Maybe it was your parent's song. I think you're here for a reason. You weren't some accident." Ashlyn smiled. "You're too special for that."

Caroline blushed through her porcelain skin. "Thanks, haha?"

"I'm not kidding."

"Well… I'm glad, I guess." Caroline smiled.

Sometimes Ashlyn did stuff like this. She went off in these little spurts and often thought about Brad in silence. It's like the guy was always on his mind.

Caroline loved him, she guessed. She did love him, he was like her father. But often, Caroline just wished for her real father. She loved Ashlyn to pieces. It made her crazy to think Ashlyn wasn't her mother. She was so perfect as a mother in almost every way. It was sickening, often.

Regardless, they drove onward into New York, smiling and singing along.

Sweeeet Caroline.

**I promise, things will be starting up soon. REAL things. Exciting things. (: I just have to develop and let each character kinda stew for a bit. Love you guys. Predictions, as usual? Sorry it's been so long. I'm still on Facebook!**

**- Rem**


	3. James

**I'm sorry, guys. I moved away several times but now I'm in a permanent home again. So, I don't want to lose my readers. Sooo, here's basically what happened in Signed, mL: It started off with a amnesia-ridden half Japanese, half white girl whom has no recollection of her past. She finds a ripped piece of cardboard in the alley she woke up in with the word, 'Mariko' on it. This is her name, as the Shinigami Ryuk explains.**

**She wanders off and finds a 'job' working for a sweet old man named Mr. Walker. Sweeping the floors and such, though the man continually insists on helping her further, she denies it on a consistent basis, though he gives her more pay on Sundays. She lives in one of the hotel rooms, living off of Ramen and saving the rest of her money.**

**One day, after work, she goes up to her hotel room to find Ryuk standing there, with a piece of cardboard labeled "Lawliet". He explains this is her surname. After a long day of work and studying at the library, she comes home bedraggled and with a single article about L, though it mentioned nothing of the surname this was when Near was first introduced, taking a vacation with Mello and Matt, and trying to screw them over by putting marijuana in Matt's cigarettes.**

**In the morning, Mariko woke up with the realization that she HAD to be related to L in some way, and begins counting her saved spare change and loose one dollar bills in a huge mason jar. She got Mr. Walker to drop her off, claiming she had to 'pick someone up' and we never saw Mr. Walker again. (xDD Which isn't to say he won't be back now.)**

**After a flight from Portland to LAX, Ryuk explains that Mariko, being partially possessed by a Shinigami, has partial Shinigami sight. His articulation: **_**"When I possessed you, there was a nice big hunk of your memory missing. You know that I can see your name and lifespan? Since I've taken up that big hunk of memory, so have my eyes. Considering you're a child, and not an adult, meaning ten years have been taken up, there's only enough room for… Hm. Maybe the first initial?"**_**Oh, then BB came in. Yay. He was killing someone and had this big long inner monologue about L. All this was during LABBMC. Mariko fell asleep in the street, and L had an inner monologue about BB! Yay. Also, you'll pretty much be reminded of Mariko's situation if you listen to Viva La Gloria? (Little Girl) by Green Day.**

**Mariko woke up on the street, seeing people's initials. Mariko received Ryuk's extra Death Note. (Light's future Death Note, might I add.)**

**Mariko got a job at a hotel and began to feel homesick. Near got a cell phone call from someone using a voice distorter thing and that told him to get a key from under one of the couch cushions in the Beverly Hilton and come to room 405. It was L, and L just wanted ot make sure that Near was up to his duties.**

**A week later, Mariko and Near run into each other on the streets. Mariko on a grocery run, and Near completely lost.**

**A conversation after Mariko letting Near call Roger led to Near admitting that he was a select group of boys next in line to become L, he wanted Mariko and L to meet, seeing the resemblance. They go to meet him, and L completely disregards her. Mariko's hopes are shattered. Near returns to his hotel room and Mariko, miserable and pretty much suicidal, runs into BB on the streets. She begins to walk away, before Mariko blinks, stopping and turning, handing him the Death Note. And I quote, "My name is Mariko Beyond Lawliet. Write it down."This is because there was some condition about how Mariko can't write her own name down. B explains that he wouldn't kill a child with so much time left to live, as he only killed people with short lifespans. B, noting the resemblance between L, begins attempting to befriend her. Mariko, fully understanding he is a serial killer, in her misery, leads him to her hotel room. They made a deal. Mariko would find L, and B would kill her.**

**The following letter was left at the door of L's hotel room:**

"_**L-I hope this letter finds you well. I snuck into the hotel and slipped it under your meet me at the coordinates below at midnight ,mL**_**L found it ridiculous and laughable and dismissed it, though Mariko was unaware. She waits at the cliffs for L to show up, but he never does. Subsequently, she is raped by B, then shoved off the cliff. This was where part one ended. We skipped ahead four years. Ryuk, deciding that suddenly things were too interesting, saved her life.**

**Three years later, the new owner of the hotel suggested she do some kind of extracurricular activity. Enrolling herself in a traveling ballet squad, she met a good friend whose parents were constantly traveling the world, and invited her to stay with her. This friend's name was Misa Amane. Near, walking down the streets of LA four years later, comes upon a dance studio and sees who he thinks is Mariko dancing. Her appearance has changed. She wore thick eyeliner, mascara, and eyeshadow, with dark lipstick. Her chest had become more ample, which disturbed him somewhat, and she had purple and aqua streaks in her hair. He watched for several minutes, until Mariko and Misa exited the dance studio. Calling each other MisaMisa and MariMari, he found by their conversation that Mariko was now the Prima Ballerina of the studio. She wore a short purple plaid skirt with chains dangling from it, along with a tight, black strapless shirt. (Not meaning to go all Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way on you guys, he was just disturbed by it. And now I sound like Tara Gilesbie…) Mariko, upon seeing Near, confronts him about why he left her so many years ago. Mariko, after a fitful conversation with him, turns around in the midst of her anger. Near grabs her by the shoulder, and he accidentally sees a large scar in the shape of a B on her shoulder. Mariko elbows him in the face, but it was too late. They bicker about it and Mariko forces a kiss on him so he 'doesn't ask', and she leaves abruptly, shaken up. Mariko, going home, frets with Misa, unaware of her past 'experiences' with B, about how absolutely adorable he was. Misa does her hair, taking out Mariko's colored extensions and spending various hours fiddling with her hair. Mariko goes to sit out on the balcony, and Near spots her, asking her go out to eat and Mariko explains the entire situation to Near. Near makes a phonecall of which Mariko only hears a few select words, but then Near comes over and hands her the phone. She is offered to come stay at the Wammy house. Upset and unwilling to leave, she goes home and begins to toy with the idea. Upon performing the dance concert, she runs into an ex-boyfriend who begins to harass her somewhat. Near intervened and Mariko completely kneed him between the legs, he ran off. His name was tells Near she decided to accept his offer on one condition. The condition being that she could leave when she wished. Near told him he'd check up, and she'd come, but he still wasn't sure. After they get into London, there was an inner monologue about Light by Ryuk, he had just found out about the crazy high school student, as well as that he'd have to kill Mariko first, but he had an idea. Mariko's Wammy name being Milia, she met the others and ate dinner with them, Near sliding into the conversation. Ryuk then tells Mariko via telepathy that she can write down part of someone's name, and write down the rest of it later, and it would still take effect, and decides to explain that if she uses it, she goes to neither Heaven nor Hell, and she'll die in a few years. Mariko shouts a rebuttal at him rather loudly, causing the other girls to think her strange. **

**Near tells Mariko his real name, Nate River, and this angers her that she never knew his real name before this, She breaks down crying and explains the information with the Shinigami. She goes to the dorm, and overhears the others talking about her badly. Unpacking her things the next day and trying to relax, she talks to Near and confides her worries in him, then decides to show him her Death Note. She places it in his hands, and told him to look up. He's relatively calm, and B watches the entire ordeal unfold. He decides that Mariko would die at his own hand, not some Shinigami or someone else. Mariko then has a nightmare that, decidedly, had a lot to do with the sequel after I read it again…And also, just to repost this author's note… **_**"PS - I just know someone is going to say, "but Near and Ryuk met in da death note sereez, not b4!" Okay, think of it this way. In the series, he really wasn't freaked out to see how scary Ryuk looked. A normal human would go, "HOLY ****! WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" even if they are Near, it's a human reaction. Even L freaked out. This was my explanation for that, "Oh, Hello Mr. Shinigami. ^.^" thing at the end of the series.**__"_**I guess here, I also decided that the full name was Signed, mL: The Life and Tragedy of Mariko Beyond Lawliet. _Mariko, being teased and tired of the House, took some money out of Misa's parent's account and flew back to LA, in the dead of night. B had followed her in the back of the plane. The LABBMC ended between the timeskip from age 10 Mariko to age 14 Mariko, so everyone thought him dead. They thought he was dead, though by some means, I think the shame of the media, he was still alive, and they had told the public he was dead. **

**Once they were home, Mariko was left alone as Misa went to get groceries. BB came into the room and locked the door behind him. Back at the Wammy house, rumours were spreading fast, and Mello explained that he thought that Mariko was somehow related to L. Everyone, including Near, was shocked at the notion. (Near because he didn't think it was obvious) Everyone slowly began to agree and they all turned toward Near. Beyond approached Mariko, grinning evilly and simply telling her to remember their secret. In her fear, she called Near and asked to return to the House once then, two years later, in the house, she was called by L and came into a room to find herself face to face with a laptop in a soundproof room. L asked Mariko and Near to discontinue their recent romance, as she was first in line to be L's heir. He continued to deny any connection to her. Mariko then presented a proposal, that some of the older kids go to Malibu- A vacation would increase their productivity and lower stress levels. L claimed he'd consider it and asked her to share the conversation with no one. Mariko had a strange nightmare, which seems to be a common theme, and met Near in the morning. Mello and Matt shared that there was some kind of rumour spreading through the house of them taking a vacation. When Mariko returned to the dorm, the girls were chattering wildly in flew to Malibu, where Mariko began to think oddly about Near, Ryuk teasing her all along as they laid on the beach. Ryuk ran into Rem, and they exchanged a conversation, Rem dropping some information about Light, she had just dropped her Death Note and Misa had picked it up. Ryuk acknowledged that the possession lasted only 7 years and it had been six, and he'd written down Mariko's name nearly two years ago. Remthen asked him his opinion on the fact that if they're called gods, why did they die? For some reason, I have positively no recollection of writing this was at a loss for words to answer her, and simply grumbled something about her over thinking it, and Rem explained she had to go, as Misa was contemplating the eyes deal. Ryuk returned to the human and the rest of the group of the Wammy kids went to the beach early morning, dawn. There was a brief romantic moment between Near and Mariko, before they began unloading things from the trunk of the car.**

**Mariko and Near proceeded to have a conversation about sex that I completely remember writing in a totally different they had sex, and there was an interior monologue by B about how this was the 'perfect' morning was odd for Mariko and Near, Mariko half woke up and forgot most of it, asking why Near was in the hotel room. Despite the fact that I wrote this, it made me laugh really, really, hard, because of the pure way I was imagining they sat on the beach, a song began to play on some random person's stereo that made them both flip. Sweet Caroline. (COUGHCOUGHHINTHINTNUDGENUDGE) And they began to acknowledge that Caroline was a beautiful girl's name. And for some reason, they liked the name James, the beach, she suddenly got some notion that someone was watching her, though nothing was Mariko returned to her room, she propped a book in the door so Near could come in if he wanted. When she was just about to lay down, someone put a cloth over her nose and mouth and she passed awoke to commotion, and one of the girls explained that Milia (Mariko's fake name) was kidnapped, and Near flipped out.**

**Mariko had been stuck in Beyond's hideout for days, refusing to eat the food, drink his water. Glaring at him and continually verbally assaulting him, Beyond ended up smacking her on several in the house, understanding Near's attachment to Mariko, made him rest and made sure he was okay while the search was on to find her. When he took some of the tea that one of the girls had made him, he explained he felt it was his fault for not watching over him. The girl explained that he couldn't have known, everyone thought that B was , back at B's hideout, was covered in bruises, scars, cuts, burns, almost anything imaginable. She was half-dead when they found her. Mariko stumbled out, collapsing into Near's she woke up, Near was there, and told her she'd been out for a full week. Near, freaking out, tells her that she's pregnant, and both of them have absolutely no idea as to whether or not to be happy or a month later, getting an ultrasound, they were told Mariko was going to have a the child was born, they decided they'd move to Portland. Beyond was in jail with a death sentence. They had narrowed baby names down to Stephenie, Katherine, and Connor, but they were well undecided.**

**Mariko had set aside a suitcase full of posessions and her will under the bed, just in case some thing unfortunate should happen. Sweet Caroline came on the radio, and Mariko screeched about how that was the approached Ryuk when Near was gone. She knew he was going to kill her in childbirth. Her main concern at that point was that her child was going to die, just as she began to go into skipped over to Near, trying to persuade a ring salesman that he was ready and old enough to , as he was leaving, called Near, shouting that she was in labour. Near, incredulous, asked why she hadn't called sooner, and Misa explained that her phone had died. He was pulled over briefly, but the officer gave him a break upon understanding.**

**Running into various other obstacles, such as road work, it took him an hour and fifteen minutes to get there. When he finally arrived, Mariko was holding a baby with a mop of albino hair. Misa, however, was also there, holding a black-haired, red-eyed agreed that if Mariko loved him, he would too, though he felt fear. Mariko died. The Death Note was visited by L, who claimed that if he didn't hand over custody, since Near was a minor, they would go to court. He won custody over the children and they were put into a foster care , on the other hand, found herself in the Shinigami world, able to fly. Dressed in dance clothes and a black robe with a white sash, with white cat ears, she was dismayed, yelling if that was some Lolita convention. What she was wearing and how she looked reflected her earthly life. She had a pair of raven wings, easy enough to fly with. Ryuk tossed her a thorn-adorned halo that she placed on her head. He explained that she was a Shinitenshi, an Angel of Death. Death Gods can have Shinitenshi in special cases, if someone that the Shinigami killed hadn't finished their first life. Shinitenshi kept their earthly bodies, if they eventually died and go to either Heaven or Hell, if they did not use the death note. They could also become Shinigami, but Ryuk wanted to avoid that conversation. They could give out Death Notes. Ryuk handed her two Death Notes, telling her to be careful where she placed them. He told her to watch the human world and eventually decide where she wanted to this, my friends, is where we left off. That is Signed, mL in four pages, for you. If you're still lost or confused and you read all of this sequel so far, feel free to include it in your review, I'm glad to clarify. X3Anyway, it's nice to be back, enjoy the new chapter. I'll try to keep my momentum going, but I need reviews. Thanks.-Rem**

James frowned, his teeth clenching together as he glanced over his shoulder, staring down at the table he sat at. The girl sitting across from him smiled widely. "It's okay- Just try to remember feelings. Don't worry about what actually happened. Just focus on whatever memory or recollection or freeze frame you have and focus on it until your peripheral vision grows."

James, sighing and considering throwing a temper tantrum, made a weak and unwilling attempt to clear his mind and relax as he inhaled deeply. The girl smiled. "Come on, you can do it."

Even after several minutes, there was , sour and bitter, bit his lip and sighed. "I appreciate the effort." He mumbled, throwing a dollar down on his classmate's table.

"Waaait!"

"No." James replied hotly, refusing to look back as he crawled into one of the beds sitting in a was so in general, but also in the physical day long, that weird girl had been harassing him to try to remember something about his parents, his birth family, though there was nothing.

He was… miserable. All his life, nothing. Blank faces and stares as he walked down a hallway or was interviewed by parents. He'd mumble awkwardly and shift in his chair. He blamed his damn had discovered when he was four or five to not talk about someone's name until he asked them theirs, or he knew it. Apparently normal people, those who weren't James, thought he was socially inept or awkward. This wasn't true. James could make friends. It was just… difficult. For whatever reason, he was was just him. Never anyone else. His own fault for being a freak.

He couldn't help but wonder; were his parents like this? Did they see people's names, and a strange assortment of numbers, floating over their head? Or was he just a freak?

He spent many of his weekends and days wondering. Did they just abandon him? Just like that? Were things THAT serious? He felt… broken. No one was ever going to love him. Parent or otherwise. No one could even care about him past the extent of his death. In this world, he had a literal in the room while everyone was downstairs, he began to feel the first few tears rolling down his cheeks as he forced himself to stand the corner of the room, a man stood.

James' gaze traveled toward him."Bah, pick yourself up." The man stepped quietly forward, glancing at the raven, his interest piqued. He was somewhat handsome, James supposed, with mid-length brown hair, narrow eyes, and a tall, thin stature. He stood there for a moment, inquisitive and stoic. "What's wrong?" He finally was frozen in mid-action.

"Wh-who are you?" He stammered, biting his lip as the colour drained from his face. The man laughed slightly. "My name is Light."

"… That's all well and good," James began slowly, shifting nervously in his seat. "But…. Why are you here?" He mumbled, looking up nervously, trying his best to avoid eye contact with Light at all costs. His mind was too busy making his blood run cold to question why the man was suddenly smiled suddenly. An odd, sympathetic smile.

"Your name is James."

"Y-yes. But… H-how?"

Light laughed. "I'm a friend." There was something strangely comforting about the way Light was smiling at him. Caring… James blinked. Who the hell was this guy?

"Now, wait, wait. Y-you… You have eyes. The eyes."

"Yes, I have eyes." Light raised an eyebrow. "I thought that was normal?"

"Eyes… E-eyes like me."Light laughed.

"Yes. Eyes like you. We're special, you and I."

"Y-yeah…" James mumbled. "Wh-where did you come from?" James asked fearfully, his eyes growing wide and nervous."Well, I'm actually a Shinigami." Light was seemingly aware of James' delicate emotional state.

"Why are you here?" James asked, his chest tightening. "I'm not dying, am I?"

"No, no. You have something of mine, a book."

James grew silent. "… The Death Note?" He mumbled, looking up with huge nodded, smiling at him.

"Yes. Let me explain this to you…"


End file.
